Traditional box springs based on braided wires and springs as a means of support for a mattress in beds have the disadvantage that with use the metal of the wires loses its tempering and the springs are stretched, with the result that the center of the bed sags and there are accompanying problems in the form of discomfort and deformation of the spinal column which users may suffer as a consequence.
Solutions of various kinds have been developed in order to resolve the problem. For example, rigid plates are incorporated or the support is based on semiflexible foams of special materials, but this gives rise to other disadvantages, discomfort, and high cost. In addition, such solutions are suitable only for design of mattresses of a specific consistency and thickness, but not, for example, for thin soft sponge mattresses, since the reduced absorptivity of such mattresses results in excessive discomfort with these support means.
One practical solution to this problem has been the production of mattresses integrated with box springs, but the use of these box springs alone is disadvantageous, in that they generally are used with an additional mattress placed on top. The bed then becomes very bulky and inelegant in appearance.